


The Space Between

by kesomon



Category: Doctor Who (1963)
Genre: Crossing Timelines, Episode Tag, Gen, Humor, The Space Museum
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-17
Updated: 2018-01-17
Packaged: 2019-03-05 22:20:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 772
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13397448
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kesomon/pseuds/kesomon
Summary: Some messages can transcend lifetimes. Or, you can find a lot in a museum for all of space and time.An episode tag for The Space Museum (First Doctor era).





	The Space Between

**Author's Note:**

> Wrote this on a whim while I was watching The Space Museum. It was meant to be a drabble about finding the Hello Sweetie box. Then it turned into a drabble about the Doctor mentioning the name of his planet. Then it turned into a drabble about the translation circuits. TL;DR, this mutated rapidly, but I'm pleased with it, and very pleased with the character voices.
> 
> This fic presupposes two things:
> 
> \- that this takes place during episode 1 of this serial, when the group is wandering the museum and doesn't realise they are exhibits yet,
> 
> \- that this takes place in a time period either prior to or following the Eleventh Doctor episode 'The Time of Angels,' where the home-box that River inscribed was either a.) housed in this museum before the Eleventh Doctor found it in the other one, or b.) relocated to this museum after the Byzantium adventure through unknown means. As there is no time period given during The Space Museum for the exact date the TARDIS has landed in, either are plausible.
> 
> Crossposted to [A Teaspoon And An Open Mind](http://www.whofic.com/viewstory.php?sid=61900)

_The Planet Xeros, unknown time and date  
_ ~~~oOo~~~

"This museum is remarkable; I think there's something here from every era of Earth history!" Ian grinned at Barbara as they bent over a deconstructed model of a car engine. The placard stated it was from 1973.

"More than Earth, Ian. Remember that Dalek?" Barbara grimaced, rubbing the goosebumps off her arm. "Eugh, it still gives me the creeps."

"At least it wasn't occupied. That's something. I wonder if there's anything from Vortis, or the Sense Sphere," he mused, straightening up to glance about. "Say, where did the Doctor go?"

"Over there," Barbara pointed at their alien friend, bent over examining something across the room. "I wonder what he's found?"

"Let's find out. Doctor!" The two humans strolled over. "Find something interesting then?"

"Hm? Oh yes, my boy, yes, very interesting," the Doctor hummed, straightening up to twiddle his thumb against his lapel. "Have a look at this." The young man bent to examine the object, puzzled.

"It's a...box?" It didn't look anything more than that. Square on all sides, built without apparent seams or hinges. It looked battered and burned, as though exposed to high heat, the metal surface blistered and rust-grimed. The top was inscribed with the designs of an alien language, through use of a cutting tool if Ian had to guess.

"It's more than just a _box_ , Chesterton," the Doctor chided. "That, my boy, is a home-box. From a Starliner, fifthty- _fifty_ -first section-century if I'm not mistaken. Dear me, it has been through a good deal of trouble, look at the state of it..."

"And what's that when it's at home?" Ian grinned at his own pun. It earned him a disgruntled look from the old man.

"A home-box _homes_. It's much like your aircraft, _planes_ , with their black boxes. Flight data is rec- er, _contained_ within. And in the event of a crash, er, dish- _disaster_ of a type, the home box flies home! Most ingenious device, yes." The Doctor tittered with delight.

"Extraordinary," Ian marvelled. "What's it doing here, I wonder?"

"Oh who knows, Chatterton, who knows. That isn't the most interesting thing about it," the Doctor said with a dismissive flick of his wrist. "What's curious is the _writing_."

Barbara chimed in. "Do you recognise it, Doctor?"

"Oh yes. You see my dear, that is _my_ planet's language. Old High Gallifreyan!" The Doctor chuffed. "Quite remarkable to find it here, of all things! Especially this dialicked- _dialect_."

Ian and Barbara shared a curious look. "Gallifreyan?"

The old man gave them a sidelong smile. "You didn't think the entire universe spoke your Earth-English, did you?"

Barbara began to giggle. Ian looked astonished. "But everyone we've ever met has spoken English!" He protested. "How was I to know? For that matter, if it's true, how do we understand everyone where we go?"

"My dear Chesterton, the TARDIS has a translation circuit that translates us speech to our proper tongues, _do_ be sensible about things," the Doctor admonished. It set Barbara off laughing harder, while the tips of Ian's ears flushed red.

"Well okay then," he grumbled, and whacked Barbara's arm lightly. "It isn't _that_ funny, Barbara."

"Oh Ian," she giggled, "I'd worked that out _ages_ ago. How else would we have been able to talk with Marco Polo, or convinced Autloc that I was the reincarnation of Yetaxa?"

"Okay, okay," Ian sighed, resigning himself to embarrassment with a stiff upper lip. "So, Gallifreyan? Is that your planet then, Doctor?"

"Hm, yes. Yes...been quite some time since I've been back," the Doctor mused in an absent, pensive mutter, but it was fleeting. He straightened his shoulders, tugging his lapels straight. "Never mind, never mind. I say it's quite curious to find Gallifreyan in this place, especially on this home-box. Quite curious indeed. We don't have such things for the TARDIS."

"What does it say, Doctor?" Barbara asked with interest.

To the human's surprise, the old man's cheeks pinked faintly, as he cleared his throat. "Ah, well, it's difficult to translate, I should say. Certainly a strange message, very strange. You see these sigils here, these are coordinates; perhaps where the home-box originated from-"

"And the rest of it?" Ian asked, amused by the turn of events.

"Ahem, well, er..."  the Doctor sniffed. "It says, ' _Hello Sweetie_.' Oh _really_ , you humans, stop that noise," he scolded, brushing abruptly past the two guffawing Earthlings. "Now where did Vicki get off to, I should find her. Shouldn't keep separated in a place like this. Come _along_ , you two!"

"Coming, Doctor!" they chorused, before lapsing back into giggles, following him arm-in-arm.


End file.
